Luggage handle and method of manufacturing the same



Feb. 17, 1953 A. J. Rosu svo'os, SR

LUGGAGE HANDLE .AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed Nov. 16, 1949 yfNVENTORLJZ.

4 This invention relates gage handles and method of manufacturing the same.

- stitched together.

jections. required makes the cost of materials for this Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUGGAGE HANDLE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Albert J. Rognsvoog, Sr., Racine, Wis., assignor to North Bay Leather Goods, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 16, 1949, Serial No. 127,590

to improvements in lug- Conventional luggage handles of high grade manufacture have customarily been made up of two relatively thick layers of leather surrounding a core, said layers having their edges disposed at the upper edge of the handle and saddle These stitched together edges form a longitudinal bead along the top of the a handle, which bead has a thickness equal to four layers of leather.

The luggage trade has come to consider a bead of this type as an indication of high quality lug- However, there are certain practical ob- The fact that two layers of leather are gage.

'luggage handle which closely resembles conventional handles of high grade manufacture, but

which does not have the above mentioned dis advantages.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved luggage handle having a core cov- "ered with a single layer of leather, said core and layer of leather being formed with a bead, and

said bead being saddle stitched.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handle of the class described wherein the stitching of the bead serves to secure the leather covering to the core without any other stitching.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing a luggage handle wherein a bead is formed and stitched in one operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved luggage handle and a method of manufacturing the same wherein there are a. minimum number of manufacturing steps, thereby rendering said manufacture inexpensive.

A further object of the invention is to provide a luggage handle which is strong and durable, neat in appearance, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved luggage handle and method of manufacturing the same, and all of the steps, parts and combinations incident thereto, as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof.

4 Claims. (01. 190-57) In the drawing accompanying and fcrming'a part of this specification wherein is shown one complete embodiment of the preferred form of the invention and wherein like characters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through a luggage handle core and showing a layer of leather wrapped therearound;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 and showing the covered core positioned between the dies of a bead forming and stitching machine;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figs. 1 and 2 showing the covered core with a stitched bead formed thereon, the free end portion of the cover being trimmed off adjacent the stitching;

Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the handle after the final forming operation, said view being indicated by the lines 44 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 5 is a perspective side view of a handle after it comes from the bead forming and stitching machine; and

Fig. 6 is a side view of the finished handle.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing the numeral [0 indicates a generally cigar-shaped core which-may be made of that type of felt paper which is customarily used in lug age handles and which has wrapped therein a metal band or bail The core [0 is preferably soaked in water to make it soft and moldable. A single layer of leather [2 having a width substantially equal to the length of the core l0, is wrapped around said core about one and one quarter turns, leaving a free edge portion l3, as is clear from Fig. l.

The covered core is then placed in a bead forming and stitching machine I4. This machine is provided with a lower, fixed bead forming die l5 and with a vertically reciprocatable upper bead forming die [6. The dies I5 and 16 are formed with arcuate surface portions I! which are adapted to embrace the covered core in as shown in Fig. 2. The dies l5 and 16 have parallel outwardly projecting portions 18 and I9 respectively which, together with the arcuate portions I1, form shoulders 20 and 2|. The portion I9 is formed with a stop lug 22 which limits the downward travel of the upper die [6. The machine I4 is also provided with a vertically reciprocating awl 21 operable adjacent the shoulder 2| of the member I6, and with a vertically reciprocatable sewing needle 23 operable adjacent the shoulder 20.

When the machine I4 is o erated, reciprocation of the upper die l6 squeezes the covered core l0 between the dies I6 and I5 and forces a side por- 3 tion of said core and of the cover out between the shoulders 20 and 2|, as shown in Fig. 2, to form a bead 24. As the covered core is being passed longitudinally through the dies I and I6, and as the bead 24 is formed thereon, the reciprocating awl 21 perforates the bead 24 adjacent its base, and the needle 23 stitches the bead through said perforations, as indicated at 25. During this operation, the stop lug 22 limits the movement of the upper forming die [6 toward the lower die [5 and thereby forms the bead 24 of uniform thickness and also the side of the lug forms a stop to limit the depth of the bead 24.

After the bead 24 has been completely formed and stitched, the covered core i0 is removed from the machine i4. At this stage it has the conformation shown in Fig. 5, with the free edge portion or flap l3 projecting outwardly from one side of the bead 24. The flap I3 is then trimmed off outwardly adjacent the stitching 25, as shown at 26 in Fig. 3. The final formin operation is performed on the conventional forming machine (not shown), and in this operation the covered core is given a U-shaped conformation in side view, as shown in Fig. 6. In addition, the bead 24 is given a rectangular cross sectional shape, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, instead of the more rounded shape shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5.

Due to the thickness of the bead and the stitching therein, the improved handle resembles the conventional high grade luggage handle so closely that it is diflicult to differentiate between them. In addition, the bead 24 of the present invention is advantageous because it does not have exposed edges of layers of leather as is the case with conventional handles. By using a single covering layer of leather and by forming and stitching the bead 24 in one operation, the cost of the materials and the cost of manufacture of the improved handle is reduced to such a point that it is competitive with cheaper handles on the market.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is: 1. In a luggage handle: an elongated core formed with a longitudinal rectangular bead having a side wall; a piece of covering material wrapped around said core and conforming to the shape thereof, said material having an edge portion coverin said bead and positioned flat against said head side wall and having an opposite edge portion positioned in fiat overlapping contact with said first-mentioned edge portion, said last mentioned edge portion terminating inwardly of the outer edge of said head, and said latter edge portion being depressed into the side of the covered bead to provide a smooth outer side wall for said covered bead; and a longitudinal row of stitching extending transversely through said ,bead side wall and connecting said overlapped edge portions.

2. In a method of manufacturing a luggage handle around a metal bail covered with absorbent fibrous material to form a core, the steps of soaking said core to render said fibrous material plastic; then wrapping a sheet of covering material around said core so as to leave a portion of the sheet which is adjacent one edge overlapping an opposite edge portion and projecting from said core; then, by compressive action, forming said core and said covering material with a longitudinal bead positioned alongside said projecting portion of the sheet; then stitching transversely through said bead and through said projectin portion; and then trimming off said projecting portion outwardly of and adjacent said stitching.

3. In a method of manufacturing a luggage handle around a metal bail covered with absorbent fibrous material to form a core, the steps of soaking said core to render said fibrous material plastic; then wrapping a sheet of covering material around said core so as to leave a portion of the sheet which is adjacent one edge overlapping an opposite edge portion and projecting from said core; then, by compressive action, forming said core and said covering material with a longitudinal bead positioned alongside said projectin portion of the sheet; then, while said formed bead is held in compression, stitching transversely through said bead and through said projecting portion; and then trimming of! said projecting portion outwardly of and adjacent said stitching.

4. In a method of manufacturing a luggage handle around a metal bail covered with a moldable core, the steps of: wrapping a sheet of covering material around said core so as to leave a portion of the sheet which is adjacent one edge overlapping an opposite edge portion and projecting from said core; then forming said core and said covering material with a longitudinal bead positioned alongside said projecting portion of the sheet; then stitching transversely through said bead and through said projecting portion; then trimming on said projecting portion outwardly of said stitching and inwardly of the outer edge of said bead; and then, compressing said handle between dies to form said covered bead with a rectangular cross-sectional shape with the overlapping edge portion of the cover depressed into the side of the covered bead to provide a smooth external side wall surface on said bead formed by both of said overlapping edge portions.

ALBERT J. ROGNSVOOG. Sn.

REFERENCES CITED following references are of record in the this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS The file of 

